Secret OWL Society

OWL Workshop 1/20/12

For our workshop this week, we watched a 15 minute vid by the one and only Robin Sharma: 8 Steps to Winning in the New Year <<CLICK

Then, using the insights from the vid, we answered these questions:

What are my 5 key goals this year?

What are 5 ways that I can strip away noise and distractions from my life?

What are the 3 things I am most resisting and most afraid of? "Your greatest life is on the other side of your fear."

What are 3 ways that I can work on my personal development?

What are 3 ways that I can work on my health?

What are 3 ways that I can achieve deeper levels of rest/rejuvenation so that I can bring more ideas and creativity to what I do?

What are 3 ways that I can eliminate negative influences/people in my life?

Be honest: What are my most common excuses that are causing me to postpone living?

How to Get to Something Better

This is one of those life lessons that won't let you move on from the drawing board until you get it.

When we are unsatisfied with where we are, it is so easy to go into complacent mode...waiting around for things to change. But that's exactly the recipe for staying stuck.

The way to move on is to really appreciate and be grateful for where you are right now. How so? Because when we are grateful, we are happier and more positive. And when we are positive, we make the most of our present circumstances.

We are more productive and have our radar up for opportunities. We start doing things that are outside of our routine. All this adds up to creating change in your life and before you know it, your life is in a better place and you have become a better person.

OWL Principle:
If you want to move onto a better place in your life, then make the most of where you are now.

What are your tips for getting unstuck and moving on?

OWL Assignment: Listen to this Audio on Fear

1) Click HERE and listen to a 2 minute audio titled Darren Hardy Deals with Fear.

2) Take notes.

3) Make a list of the things you don't want to do.

4) Transfer those things into your planner and do them.

And remember, whatever it is that you don't want to do is probably the thing that you should do.

Tipsy on Instant Gratification

"Do not judge your results. Judge your activity."

How do you know if you're staying on the upward curve of the slight edge? Well, ask yourself this question: What am I focusing on more - my results or my activity?

In some cases, I think we need to throw our compulsion to see results out the window. Why? Because our mental time frame for when we think we should start experiencing results is terribly skewed.

The Time it Takes

Once upon a time, most people were self-employed - they were farmers. In the spring, they plowed and fertilized the land so that they could plant seeds. Then they spend months weeding and watering those plants under the hot summer sun. After time, sacrifice, patience, sweat and toil, they are finally able to reap a harvest.

Today, we go to the grocery store and check out.

I'm not proposing we need to "go backwards" and all become farmers, but we do need to cultivate the mentality of a farmer when it comes to achieving success. How ridiculous it would be for a farmer to plant apple seeds and wake up the next day expecting to eat apples? But this is the attitude that most people take toward achieving results in their lives. They want to see the payoff right away. We're all a little tipsy on instant gratification.

Seasons of Life

Results are important, but don't go looking for them in the spring. Wait for the fall. And in the meantime keep doing the activity. Keep watering, cultivating, weeding, fertilizing, pruning, and let the shining of the sun and the passing of time work its magic. It's a healthier, more productive way to go because it is an approach that stays true to the nature of success and the seasons of life.

You Already Know What to Do

Success is simple. As Jim Rohn said, it's simply a matter of mastering the fundamentals. To grow a good crop, a farmer knows that he needs rich soil, seeds, water, and sun. He can add fancier ways of doing things, but those fundamentals are the foundation of achieving a harvest. No matter what you want to achieve, you can break it down into a set of actions that you can do every day to remain on the positive side of the slight edge. Don't make it any more complicated. Don't get hung up on results. Just do the activity because achieving success really is as simple as that.

OWL Assignmnt: 2012 Focus Activity

Fill in the blanks:

My word for the year is _____________
What word would characterize how you want to approach this year? Gratitude? Self-awareness? Energy? Faith?

My skill for the year is _____________
What skill would make the most difference in your life and goals? Learning a new language? Public speaking? Dealing with people confidently? Speed reading? Communicating more effectively?

My priority for the year is _____________
What is your number one priority for the year? What priority would have the biggest positive impact on your other priorities? Trusting in God more? Praying more? Being a better person in general? Taking care of your health and energy?

Checklist your Life

We all want to be organized because not being so is a real pain. But how can we bullet proof being organized?

Use a check list.

Use a check list for every area of your life that is in limbo land and needs to get on the Slight Edge train wagon. The Slight Edge teaches that massive success is the result of repeating simple, key actions every single day consistently and persistently. The tricky part is that because our days are full of what's urgent, we don't pay attention to what's important - those simple, daily actions. We need a check list to keep our eyes on those actions.

Your Slight Edge Check Lists can be divided up to cover different areas of your life. Such as:

- Business

- Health

- Family

- Financial

For each area, identify the key activities that you need to do every day to make the compound effect magic of the Slight Edge work for you. Here's an easy example:

Slight Edge HEALTH Check List:

1. Drink 8 cups of water

2. Exercise for 30 minutes

3. Sleep for 8 hours

4. Eat healthy

5. Take vitamins

Having to put a check mark next to each of those items will keep you accountable and help you create the HABITS you need to build a successful life. We know it takes 21 days to create a habit, and that to miss a day means starting over at day 1.

With a check list, you eliminate the chance missing a day because you simply forgot and you eliminate the annoying feeling of trying to keep track of everything in your head.

Outside of having check lists that cover your Slight Edge actions, you should also have check lists for all the stuff that doesn't rank as slight edge activities but still needs to get done. I call it the Dump List - the broken door, the unsent letter, the essay for that contest, etc. Keeping this list checked off is just as important because these are the kinds of tasks that will drain you of the energy that you need for your Slight Edge lists.

Why is My Life not Changing?

There is a quote on our wall that says, "Progress has little to do with speed and much to do with direction."

These words seem to speak for many people as the year draws to an end. After blasting through 365 days of constant, never-ending activity, it can be exasperating to realize that in spite of everything, nothing has really changed and you're no closer to reaching your goals than you were before.

I'm happy to say that I can tell a different story of my life this year. I've reached my 2011 goals (except for one - it's pretty big). I've made progress. Does this mean that I worked harder? No. I've worked harder in the years prior with much less to show for my efforts.

It's not enough to just go go go. If you constantly feel like you're busy, busy, busy but not getting any where, then you have a Life Lesson staring you in the face, waiting for you to wake up and get with the new program. And that new program is: stop running blind and become aware of your direction.

Here's what helped me this year:

1. Made the decision that this year would NOT be a repeat of last year.

2. Said yes to opportunities that broke me out of my routine and challenged me to be a bigger person.

3. Said no to activities that did not challenge me to be a bigger person.

4. Used Darren Hardy's "Design Your Best Year Ever" book program that required me to assess my PROGRESS and DIRECTION every week and month and do specific activities directly related to my goals. BIG HELP

5. Worked with Jim Rohn's "One Year Success Plan" (this is a program that emails me weekly activities, readings, and audios throughout the year. It takes you through the "12 Pillars of Success so that you make progress in every area of your life.)

6. Journaling reflections.

7. Looking at my goals and rewriting them frequently.

8. Using a mastermind group.

9. Reading every day.

10. Listening to positive CDs every day.